While the oxidation of mercaptans to disulfides can readily be carried out in the presence of a variety of catalysts, a problem frequently encountered is the formation of product which contains darkly colored by-products. Frequently such by-product containing products also have very strong and undesirable odors. For example, where weak catalysts are employed, more vigorous reaction conditions are often required, resulting in the formation of disulfide which is severely discolored due to decomposition of both starting material and product under the vigorous reaction conditions. Where strong catalysts are employed, reaction conditions must be closely controlled lest product decomposition become a major problem. In addition, many metal catalysts introduce impurities into the product which are difficult if not impossible to remove. As a result, product may retain traces of catalytic materials which may promote product degradation. Where amines are used as catalysts for the conversion of mercaptans to disulfides, even small amounts of catalytic material remaining in the product imparts objectionable odor to the product.